A King's Justice or a Princess's Mercy
by DaeFaely
Summary: Day of the Sorcerers AU. Follows the idea that Cedric isn't as willing to give up before going to prison and that King Roland is hardly willing to extend mercy after Cedric saves the royal family but then Sofia gives him an ultimatum. Sofia's aged up.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: this is my first Sofia the First fanfic and I haven't been in the realm of writing fanfics for a few years so bear with me. The idea for this story came and I couldn't seem to shake it. So here I am. I own nothing. Sofia is aged up a bit.)**

"But... I thought you were my friend," Sofia said.

"It appears you were wrong," Cedric said

Sofia's expression drooped. Cedric went to stride past the young woman. Sofia glared at the ground before turning and grabbing her mentor's arm.

"Mr. Cedric, wait!" she cried out, causing him to face her with a cold, hard expression.

Sofia pulled the sorcerer towards her and planted a kiss on his mouth. Cedric looked at the princess in shock, then the look turned to anger.

"What in Merlin's mushrooms was that?" Cedric spat.

"Me trying to tell you that I have always thought you a great man," Sofia said. "You don't need to be a king in order to have respect and admiration. You're great the way you are and I love you."

Cedric's expression was unreadable and Sofia wondered if she was even getting through to him. Cedric made a move as if to kiss the young princess back but then he magically bound her wrists together and pushed her into the chair he'd been in only moments before.

"What-"

"Sorry Princess, but you're not keeping me from my destiny," Cedric said, coolly. "Come Wormy. We have a kingdom to overtake."

Sofia sat in stunned silence as Cedric strode away. After a moment, she stood up and hurried out to the convention to get someone who could unbind her wrists.

"Excuse me," Sofia said to the first sorcerer she saw. "I had a wand malfunction and got my wrists tied up accidentally. Could you undo them please?"

"Certainly my dear," the sorcerer said.

With a flick of the wand, Sofia's wrists were freed.

"Thank you!" Sofia exclaimed.

With that, Sofia took off looking around for possible ways to get back to Enchancia. She saw the broom stand and ran to it.

"Excuse me, could I borrow a broom, please?" Sofia asked the sorceress.

"They're a free sample, take it," the sorceress replied.

"Thanks!" Sofia said.

She hurried out of Hexley Hall and got on the broom. Before she knew it she was in the air, flying away back home. Sofia would have loved to catch up with her mentor before he got to the castle but she knew it wasn't very likely. After all, he had a head start and she only had enough experience on a broom to keep from falling off while flying.

It took longer than she would have liked but Sofia finally arrived back to the Enchancian castle. As she got to the main entrance, she saw Baileywick frozen in place with Cedric's cloak thrown over him.

"Baileywick!" Sofia exclaimed. "No!"

Sofia hurried inside to the throne room where she saw Cedric moving her frozen family off to the side. She felt her heart drop when she saw the confused and slightly fearful expressions on her family members' faces. She looked back at Cedric as he used his wand to move her throne and change it and the throne room to be more grand and glorious, yet dark and scary.

Sofia reached into a hidden pocket on her sorcerer robe and pulled out her wand. She didn't know if she would need it, but she did know that if she had to duel with Cedric, he'd win. He had a lot more experience than her and there were many things she had yet to learn. Bolstering her confidence, she went to grab the wand, missing and falling off the broom in the process.

"Umph!"

"Sofia?" Cedric turned around sharply to look at the princess as she stood up.

"Quick, quick, zap her," Wormwood said.

"Mr. Cedric, please, I know you don't want to do this," Sofia pleaded.

"This is exactly what I want," Cedric spat out. "You Princess have no idea how painful it is to have everyone laugh at you your whole life, to be watching for your every mistake so they can tear you down for it. No, no, you don't know. Everyone loves you."

"But I haven't laughed at you," Sofia said. "I've always believed in you. Not everyone wants to tear you down."

"Well, you're too late Princess," Cedric said.

Sofia saw her mentor's expression darken a bit and she quickly pulled her wand out. She looked Cedric in the eyes as she pointed her wand at him, seeing humor at her pulling her wand out, yet a bit of doubt.

Sofia took that moment to snatch the stone right off of Cedric's wand. Cedric looked at the princess sharply and pointed his wand at her.

"Give that back," Wormwood cawed as he flew at the princess.

"Never!" Sofia exclaimed.

Sofia dodged the raven, losing her grip on the stone and letting it fall to the ground.

"Merlin's mushrooms!" Cedric exclaimed and Wormwood cawed as the rest of the royal family unfroze and the throne room returned to normal.

Sofia glanced at her thawing family, forgetting that Cedric was still armed with his wand.

"Disarmo!" Cedric called, knocking Sofia's wand far away from her.

"Guards, seize him!" King Roland said.

"I don't think so," Cedric said as he grabbed the youngest princess and pulled her against him and pressing the tip of his wand against her neck. "One step further and I gain a new pet. A cat perhaps?"

King Roland glared at the sorcerer as he waved the guards off.

"Why Cedric?" King Roland asked. "This isn't something I ever thought you capable of."

"You never thought me capable of anything!" Cedric snapped. "No one did. I remember the days when my father was the royal sorcerer and yours the king. Everything you did was the greatest thing. But did anyone notice when I did something right? Oh no. They only noticed when I made a mistake!"

"And you made a lot of mistakes!" King Roland snapped back.

"So did you," Cedric glowered. "And so did our sisters. But not one of you could do any wrong in our parents eyes. I, on the other hand, could never do any right. Do you know how hard it is to grow up being put down all the time? To feel like no one will ever tell you good job when you do something right? To be harshly criticized when you make a mistake and ignored when you do something right? No, of course not. No one would dare do that to a pampered prince who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. A prince who turned into a king who had everything served to him on a silver platter."

"That is quite enough Cedric," King Roland said. "It's time for this madness to end."

"Ah, ah, ah," Cedric chided. "You see Roland, I hold the ace. Literally. Push your luck too much and the only time you'll get to spend with the princess will be spent sneezing. I know a spell that can change someone into something else permanently. How will you care for your precious daughter if you can't even be around her? But then again, I'd as soon just disappear with the princess permanently than leave her here with you."

Sofia scowled slightly, then stomped her foot down as hard as she could onto her captor's foot and elbowed him just as hard in the ribs. Cedric gasped, loosening his grip on the princess, allowing her to break free of his grip and take his wand away from him. With Cedric no longer holding his ace, King Roland acted quickly.

"Guards seize him!"

The guards quickly captured Cedric. Sofia looked on, as she picked her wand up and pocketed it and Cedric's wand.

"Bastard," Cedric sneered at King Roland.

"Save your breath," King Roland said. "Take him away."

Sofia watched her lifelong friend be dragged away, pained. She hadn't wanted for him to end up in the dungeon. She wanted to help him see that he didn't need to take over a kingdom in order to be great.

"Dad, this is a mistake," Sofia said. "I don't think he really wanted to do this. He was pointing the wand right at me the whole time and could have froze me or followed through with his threat to turn me into his newest pet. But he didn't do it."

"Are you seriously defending him?" James asked.

"Why would you do that?" Amber asked. "Why should you act as though he deserves a second chance?"

"The same reason I gave you a second chance when you tried to sabotage me and my first ball," Sofia said. "The same reason I gave you a chance after you turned me into a cat or made fun of my village friends way of having fun at the sleepover or coerced me to do a huge fancy tea party, scorning my ideas for the party. Because deep down I knew you were better than that and that those weren't some of your finer moments."

"Sofia," Queen Miranda said. "You've always wanted to see the good in others. Sometimes there is no good to see."

"You guys don't get it!" Sofia exclaimed. "Cedric was right. People only want to see the bad in him and refuse to acknowledge his goodness."

With that, Sofia ran out of the throne room, flicking her wand behind her to create a cloud of smoke to hide the direction she went.


	2. Chapter 2

_"You guys don't get it!" Sofia exclaimed. "Cedric was right. People only want to see the bad in him and refuse to acknowledge his goodness."_

 _With that, Sofia ran out of the throne room, flicking her wand behind her to create a cloud of smoke to hide the direction she went._

Sofia wasn't sure what to do as she leaned up against the wall just outside the throne room. She wanted desperately to believe that Cedric had good in him and that the whole incident was just a result of him finally snapping after so many years of being put down. She decided she would head down to the dungeon and talk to the newest inmate. As she started walking away, Sofia could hear King Roland's voice.

"Amber, what was Sofia talking about when she mentioned you trying to sabotage her first ball?"

Sofia inwardly cringed, wondering how mad her already peeved father would get for the long past incident. She shook her head and hurried down to the dungeon. As she walked past the sleeping guard, she grabbed the keys and quietly stuffed them into her hidden pocket before going to Cedric's cell.

"Hello Mister Cedric," Sofia said, with a very slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Oh, what are you doing here Princess?"

"I'm really mad at you," Sofia said. "You lied to me, tried to steal from me, and threatened to turn me into an animal or take me away. But the worst thing you did-"

"I know, I know," Cedric said. "I tried to take over the kingdom."

"Actually, no," Sofia said. "The worst thing you did was say we weren't friends. I know that isn't true. You helped me save Royal Prep. You helped me beat Princess Ivy. You even let Morgana catch you so I could get away. Only a great sorcerer could do those things and a great friend."

Cedric sighed and stood up. He walked over to bars separating him from the princess. He reached his hand through and gently caressed Sofia's cheek. Sofia shyly leaned into the touch.

"Sofia, I'm so sorry," Cedric said, softly. "I knew it was wrong. I had buried my evil dreams and with it some of the pain from being pushed down so much, largely thanks to you and your sweet spirit and innocence. But then while at Hexley Hall, everything came back, stronger and more painfully urgent than ever before. I didn't really want to hurt you. But I did anyways."

"I know you didn't want to hurt me," Sofia said. "I could see the doubt in your eyes before I destroyed the stone. Hold on."

Sofia reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys. She unlocked the cell door and went in so she could sit with Cedric. Cedric smiled sadly for a brief moment before sitting down and pulling the princess onto his lap. For a couple moments, they sat there quietly with their foreheads pressed together, before Cedric softly kissed Sofia. The kiss was short but enough for them both to know that for better or for worse, they had strong feelings for each other that could not be ignored ever.

"Let's go talk to my father," Sofia said.

Cedric was about to interject but Sofia placed a finger against his lips.

"Hear me out Cedric," she said. "We'll explain to him everything together. We'll ask him to listen. Surely he'll be willing to at the least hear us out."

"I'm not so certain about that," Cedric said. "You forget that I grew up in the castle around your father and I know things about him that would make you and many other cringe and maybe even change their sparkling opinion about him. I know I don't have a great opinion about him and if you knew and experienced some of the things he did, you'd probably have the same opinion as me."

"Well then, we'll run away together," Sofia said. "We'll go to a kingdom that my father doesn't have many connections with and live quietly in a remote village. I think we both know just how much we feel for each other. You're worth it."

"Sofia you can't be serious," Cedric said. "I could never ask you to run away from Enchancia, from your family and dearest friends."

"Is this serious enough?" Sofia asked as she pulled Cedric's wand from her pocket.

Cedric was speechless as he took the wand in his hands. Before he could say something, someone new came the dungeon door.

"An evil wizard is attacking the castle! Hurry!"

A whistle started blowing.

"Grimtrix!" Sofia and Cedric exclaimed.

"We've got to stop him!" Sofia exclaimed.

She quickly pointed her wand at the cage Wormwood was sitting in and made the roof pop right off.

"We've got to hurry!" Sofia said urgently.

The three hurried out, with Sofia just a little ahead of the other two. As she got into the throne room, she could see her family once again frozen.

"Grimtrix!" Sofia called.

"Princess Sofia, how lovely to see you again," Grimtrix said ironically. "Now goodbye."

Sofia barely dodged behind a frozen guard as Grimtrix attempted to freeze her.

"Grimtrix!" Cedric said.

"Well there you are," Grimtrix said, handing his staff over to Cedric. "Now all you have to do is freeze the princess and the kingdom is yours. Greatness awaits King Cedric."

Sofia flinched as Cedric came closer to her.

"Mister Cedric, no!" she pleaded softly.

Cedric smiled, causing Sofia to smile.

"The zaps on you," Cedric turned quickly and raised the staff against its owner, "Grimtrix."

With a couple of quick zaps, Grimtrix and his weasel were frozen in their spots.

"Doubt me Princess?" Cedric asked.

"Of course not," Sofia said. "I just couldn't let Grimtrix know that you weren't really gong to do it. He might have frozen you, me, and Wormwood and taken over the kingdom himself."

"Right," Cedric said sarcastically before pulling the princess into a warm embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too," Sofia said.

They shared a kiss together. At first, it was gentle but grew in passion and longing. Cedric pulled away gently.

"We'd best unfreeze the others," he said. "Watch out, Grimtrix shall unfreeze too."

With that, Cedric took the Medusa stone from the staff and dropped it on the ground. Sofia flicked her wand at Grimtrix as he unfroze, binding his wrists tightly together.

"Guards, seize that sorcerer!"

Cedric smiled at the young princess. His smile disappeared when a guard placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Not Mister Cedric," Sofia said. "He saved us."

"Why would you do such a dreadfully noble thing?" Grimtrix sneered.

"Because unlike you, he is a truly great sorcerer," Sofia said proudly. "Take him away and keep a close eye on him."

The guards left with Grimtrix and Wriggley. Sofia and Cedric smiled as they saw the truly malicious wizard be taken away. Their smiles faded quickly when they heard King Roland clear his throat.

"We've got this," Sofia said softly so only Cedric could hear. "He will listen, one way or another."

Cedric shook his head.

"It's about time I took responsibility for my actions," he replied softly. "I did commit treason against you, your family, and the kingdom. At the very least, I should apologize. Go join your family."

"But-"

"Just go join them Princess," Cedric's tone indicated that he wasn't going to debate the issue.

Sofia walked over to the thrones, where her family had sat back down. But she didn't sit down in hers. Instead she stood behind it. She watched, worriedly as Cedric knelt down in front of her family, and placed her hands together in front of her mouth.

"I'm so very, very, very, very, very sorry," Cedric said. "And it will never happen again?"

"I appreciate the apology Cedric," King Roland said. "But it doesn't change what you did."

"But then he saved us from Grimtrix," Sofia said, stepping towards her father.

"And that alone is keeping him away from the gallows," King Roland said. "But that doesn't mean we have to give him another chance."

"Dad-" Sofia started.

"Why must you defend him?" King Roland said, standing up and as a result towering over his daughter. "Did you forget his threats against you?"

"Did you not listen to a word he said?" Sofia countered. "He grew up being bullied constantly and you wonder why he snapped and saw red?"

King Roland glared at his daughter. Sofia stood firm and showed no signs of cowering or backing down.

"I'm not about to grant this treasonous thing clemency and that's final, Sofia!" King Roland yelled.

Cedric glared and almost went for his cleverly hidden wand that Sofia had returned to him. Cedric knew King Roland very well from growing up around him but he had never seen him yell at someone in anger. Cedric didn't care what was said about him, but he despised the way Sofia was being treated by the person who was supposed to be kind and loving to her.

"Then you better be ready to grant the same punishment to me as you do him," Sofia said very firmly, walking over to Cedric. "I've come to love Cedric over my years growing up here. I've forgiven him for what he did earlier. So you had better choose wisely. If you banish him from Enchancia, you've banished me too. If you send him to prison, I'm going too. You kill him, I die as well."

"Don't Princess," Cedric said softly. "I couldn't ask you to do that, anymore than what you mentioned before we stopped Grimtrix."

"Whatever happens to him will not be happening to you!" King Roland snapped. "Get back to your throne and behave like a proper lady!"

"The same way you're behaving like a proper gentleman?" Sofia retorted. "If what you're behaving like is how one should be a proper royal or noble, then I want absolutely nothing of it. Make your choice Roland."

King Roland winced at having his daughter call him by his given name.

"You're not serious Sofia," King Roland said softly but none the less, still angrily.

"Rollie, look closely," Queen Miranda said. "She's more serious than she's ever been."

"Yep, she's definitely being serious," James agreed.

King Roland glared at Sofia and Cedric before storming off, leaving behind stunned looks on everyone's faces.

 **(AN: I'm back. I had originally planned for this to just be a oneshot that would start with Cedric apologizing but then I got the idea for all this drama to occur and now, it's looking to be a 3, maybe even 4 chapter story. And I fully acknowledge that some characters might be a little OOC. So what do you think King Roland's going to do? Stay tuned to find out.)**


	3. Chapter 3

_"I want absolutely nothing of it. Make your choice Roland."_

 _King Roland winced at having his daughter call him by his given name._

 _"You're not serious Sofia," King Roland said softly but none the less, still angrily._

 _"Rollie, look closely," Queen Miranda said. "She's more serious than she's ever been."_

 _"Yep, she's definitely being serious," James agreed._

 _King Roland glared at Sofia and Cedric before storming off, leaving behind stunned looks on everyone's faces._

Sofia sighed then sat down by Cedric. She reached her hand over and took his gloved hand. Cedric glanced at Sofia and squeezed her hand.

"You my Dear are dangerously stubborn," Cedric said softly, so only Sofia could hear.

"At least it's really forcing him to pause and think things over," Sofia replied softly.

"But I still think you shouldn't have put your life or relationship with him on the line," Cedric chided. "I do deserve a punishment of some kind."

"No you don't," Sofia insisted.

"Yes I do," Cedric said.

"Let's think about this in a different light," Sofia said. "You grew up belittled and scorned. You were always compared to a famous father. The pressure built and built and today you snapped. What happened today was not a reflection of you as a whole person. Deep down, you're a great man. One of the greatest I've ever known and ever will know."

"And you're my best friend, Princess," Cedric said.

Sofia and Cedric smiled at each other for a short, quiet moment. Unexpectedly, Sofia planted a small kiss on Cedric's temple, an action seen by the others in the room.

"Sofia, why put your life on the line?" Amber asked.

Sofia looked at her sister in surprise. Before she could respond, Sofia noticed the concerned and fearful expressions on the faces of her mother and siblings. It caused her to feel a little guilty. Sofia realized that by giving her father the ultimatum that she had, she was threatening to tear her family apart.

"You know the answer to that," Sofia said. "Cedric is a truly good person but no one wanted to see that, Dad especially. Cedric won't tell me much about what it was like growing up around Dad but the way he stated his opinion has me believing that Dad was a particular menace. If that was and is still true, Cedric and I both are in severe trouble. But if it was true then but not as true now, things may work out in the best way possible for everyone here."

"Sofia, come look me in the eyes."

Sofia looked at her mother, peering into the eyes of the woman who bore her.

"Sofia, look me in the eyes and tell me that what you've said is true," Queen Miranda said. "That you are in love with Cedric and that he is a good man at heart."

"Mom, it is true," Sofia said confidently, holding eye contact. "Cedric is a good man and I do love him. More than anything."

"Then I hope you two know just what you're doing," Queen Miranda said. "Your decision to bear the same punishment as Cedric can and will bring significant consequences. And not just for you."

"I understand Mom," Sofia said.

It went quiet and Sofia continued to sit by Cedric, holding his hand. The silence remained for a few minutes, only to be broken by the sound of footsteps entering the throne room. Three sets of eyes turned to King Roland as he returned to his throne, while two sets of eyes remained ever so subtly on each other. When King Roland sat down in his throne, he was leaning forward with his elbows on the armrests and his hands clasped together, except his thumbs and index fingers which were touching his forehead and chin. It remained silent for another minute and King Roland watched his youngest daughter and the sorcerer interacting with each other through hand holding and subtle glances.

"Rollie?" Queen Miranda asked cautiously.

King Roland glanced at his nervous wife for the briefest moment. It was far from enough for Queen Miranda to be able to tell if her husband was about to show mercy or exercise justice. The look had shown sadness and flickers of conflict. Whatever his decision was about to be, he was clearly second guessing himself.

Sofia felt her heart speeding up and beating very loudly. She was certain Cedric was having a similar reaction to the tense situation. One quick glance over to him and Sofia could see that Cedric's face was abnormally pale. The statement pale as a ghost was an understatement compared to what Sofia saw.

"Alright Cedric," he said, pausing.

Cedric and Sofia looked up. King Roland's expression was unreadable. The pause was held very dramatically, causing the two to fidget ever so slightly.

'Still want to run away from here, Princess?' Cedric wanted to ask his friend.

Sofia found herself starting to slowly reach for her wand. She stopped herself. Panicking would do no good.

"I will reinstate you as royal sorcerer," King Roland said. "But until she graduates from Royal Prep in two weeks, you will have absolutely no interactions with Sofia. And if you ever forget what Sofia did for you, you'll be on the next carriage out of Enchancia."

"Worry not King Roland!" Cedric said confidently. "I will never forget what the princess has done. I am forever in her debt. Thank you."

"Then I believe Sofia you can him his wand back," King Roland said.

"I already have," Sofia replied. "I gave it to him when I let him out of prison."

King Roland looked at his daughter stunned. In that moment, Cedric decided to bow out and head back to his workshop. Sofia quickly ran after him. King Roland went to remind Sofia that she and Cedric weren't supposed to be interacting but a hand on his wrist stopped him right in his tracks.

"Give them this moment Rollie," Queen Miranda said. "They have a long two weeks ahead of them."

With a sigh, King Roland complied.

Outside the throne room, Sofia tossed her arms around Cedric. Cedric turned in the embrace and hugged Sofia back.

"Thank you Princess," Cedric said. "What would I do without you around to help me when I botch things up?"

"Go crazy?" Sofia offered.

"Very funny," Cedric said.

Sofia giggled, before reaching up to coyly _straighten_ Cedric's bow.

"Must you really?" Cedric asked.

"Of course," Sofia said. "It's going to be a while before I can visit you and I got to remind you somehow that I think you ah-mazing Mr. Ceeedric."

"Crazy, beautiful woman that I love dearly," Cedric said. "It's Said-Rick."

With a small giggle, Sofia leaned against Cedric, relishing the feel of his chest against hers.

"Sofia, when the two weeks are up and you have graduated from Royal Prep, may I court you?" Cedric asked softly.

"Of course," Sofia said looking up into Cedric's eyes. "I would love nothing more. We may be forced apart for these next two weeks, but after then, nothing's going to keep us apart."

"I like the sound of that," Cedric said. "Well, I best get up to my tower. Someone did decree that I'm to have no interactions with a certain princess for two weeks."

Cedric kissed Sofia's forehead and she buried her face into his robe. A muffled sound was heard from the young princess.

"What was that Sofia?" Cedric asked.

"I'm going to miss you, a lot," Sofia said.

"Be strong," Cedric said. "In two weeks, there will never be a day where we won't see each other."

Sofia nodded sadly as she let her dear friend disappear from sight. With a sigh, Sofia headed to her room. She had no desire to go rejoin her family in the throne room.

In her room, Sofia noticed a single red rose with a creamy white ribbon tied around it sitting on her pillow. Attached to the ribbon was a simple card. Curiosity aroused, Sofia opened the card and read it.

 _Love you eternally,_

 _Your faithful sorcerer_

Sofia smiled as she smelt the rose. She could sense a magical touch as she recognized a spell that would allow the rose to bloom forever. Maybe just maybe, Sofia realized, the next two weeks wouldn't be so long.


	4. Epilogue

Sofia giggled like a young school girl as she got ready for the big day. It was the day she finally graduated from Royal Prep but that was far from what had the young princess excited. The two weeks were up once she graduated and then she'd be able to see her magical suitor again. And with help from Amber, Sofia had been able to send a message up to Cedric telling him that she hoped to see him at the graduation ceremony. Amber had told Sofia that Cedric said he planned on it.

Sofia sat at her vanity and looked over her hair which Violet had finished a few minutes prior. It was just a simple bun with a handful of tiny braids interspersed throughout and a couple of locks of hair left down on the sides and softly curled.

"Yo Princess!"

Sofia looked towards the window to see Clover, Robin, and Mia come in.

"Hey," Sofia said.

"Big day, huh?" Clover said.

"With you graduating and all," Robin said.

"And I get to see Cedric again today," Sofia said.

"What about your dad?" Mia asked. "Will he approve?"

"Dad only said no interactions up until my graduation," Sofia said. "Once I'm graduated, he can't stop me."

Sofia smiled slightly as she slipped her feet into her shoes and placed her tiara on her head.

"How do I look?" Sofia asked.

"Amazing," Robin said.

"Cedric's not going to be able to keep his eyes off you when he finally gets to see you," Clover said.

"Beautiful, but something seems to be missing," Mia said.

"Like what?" Sofia asked.

Mia eyed the princess then looked towards the vanity. Spotting the rose that Cedric had magically sent Sofia a couple weeks ago, Mia pulled the ribbon off of it and ever so carefully, and with some help from Robin, tied it around the base of the bun.

"That's better," Mia said.

Sofia looked at herself in the mirror quickly. Mia had been right. The ribbon did add a little special touch. Taking the rose to smell it, Sofia smiled.

"You were right Mia," Sofia said. "It does look better with the ribbon. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Mia said.

"I'd better get going," Sofia said. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck Princess."

Sofia waved girlishly at her friends before heading out the door.

* * *

Sofia smiled to herself as the ceremony finished and she was finally able to find friends and family and visit with them. After a few minutes of searching, Sofia finally found her family.

"Congratulations Sofia," Miranda said.

"Thanks Mom," Sofia said.

Sofia looked around.

"Oh Sofia," Amber said. "I believe _Vivian_ is headed towards the stream with the _enchanted_ throwing rocks. Perhaps you'd like to go see her before we head back to the castle?"

"I was planning to visit her in a couple days," Sofia said, not catching Amber's hidden meaning.

"Go see your friend Sofia," Amber insisted. "We won't be leaving very soon. You have enough time to go visit her and make sure that everything is set for the visit."

Still quizzical, Sofia headed towards the stream. But instead of finding her friend, she saw a very welcome sight. Cedric stood on the bridge looking out towards the setting sun with a gentle breeze causing his two toned hair to sway back and forth. Sofia gasped in surprise and excitement. Cedric turned and smiled at the princess.

With a slight air of desperation, Sofia launched herself into Cedric's arms. He held her gently, yet firmly, as if separating them from each other again would be their undoing. Cedric placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Sofia smiled softly.

No words were spoken. They were not needed. They were at home in each other's arm. Come what may, they both knew they would spend the rest of their lives together.


End file.
